A former BBC colleague of Jimmy Savile today accused him of being a necrophiliac whose usual sexual partners were “under-aged subnormals”.

The shocking allegations were made on Radio 5 Live by Paul Gambaccini, who started working as a DJ on Radio 1 in 1973.

He said he was made aware of the necrophilia claims, which suggest Savile was sexually attracted to corpses, in the Eighties.

His comments stunned DJ Nicky Campbell who tried to stop the conversation by saying the allegations were not in the public domain.

Gambaccini, 63, went on to say the BBC was not the only organisation at fault for failing to expose Savile.

He said other British media was equally to blame and claimed a reporter was heard talking at a wedding 10 years ago about Savile being a necrophiliac.

He said: “The expression I came to associate with Savile’s sexual partners was either one used by production assistants or one I made up to summarise their reports ... ‘under-age subnormals’.

“He targeted the institutionalised, the hospitalised - and this was known. Why did Jimmy go to hospitals? That’s where the patients were.”

Claims: Paul Gambaccini (Image: ITV)

But he said these things were taking place at a time when staff failed to get to grips with the concept of paedophilia.

“It was considered so far beyond the pale that people didn’t believe it happened,” he said during the 5 Live Breakfast Show.

And he said the problems with failing to call Savile to account went well beyond the BBC.

He questioned why newspapers had not acted when he said a tabloid reporter had boasted that his colleagues were aware of a story linking Savile to “necrophilia”.

Campbell pointed out: “That particularly lurid accusation that you have just brought to people’s attention is one that has not been in the public domain.”

Gambaccini agreed and asked “why not?”. And he asked: “Who vetted the knighthood? Coco the clown?”

He said the entire society was taken in by Savile - “including the Prime Minister who invited him to Chequers; including the royal family, photographed with him, he got a knighthood in this country, he got a papal knighthood.

“This is not just the BBC this is history, this is a man who conned an entire society,” Gambaccini added.